Plant Trees and Shrubs Now

by KYW's Phran Novelli

Don’t worry, you still have plenty of time to plant trees and shrubs this fall because the soil stays warmer longer than air temperatures do.  Here are a few keys to success: 

Don’t plant too deeply - dig a hole only as deep as the soil in which the plant is growing when you buy it and about twice as wide. 

And don’t add a lot of special boosters to the planting hole – a few shovelfuls of good compost mixed in with the soil you dug out is plenty.  Only amend it further if you’ve tested your soil and you know it needs something special to support what you’re planting – such as to make your soil more acidic for a holly plant or blueberries.  Otherwise, most of what you put back in the hole should be the soil you dug out of it.  Then water it in, slowly and deeply. 

Remember, your new plant has to learn to grow and thrive in the soil in which it’s planted, and the sooner it gets used to its new surroundings, the better.